Guardian Angel
by shrinemaiden513
Summary: It begins with Hermione catching someone watching her in the library. Who is it and what does that person want? Sorry, I'm not good with summaries! Rated M for swearing and situations. AU, no magic. BartyxHermione, Barmione


**AN: Hello! It's shrinemaiden513 and I would like to thank you for checking out my story :) Yes, this is a Barty x Hermione story. This pairing needs more attention, they're one of my favorites. I'm not sure if this will be a one-shot or if I'll turn this into a multi chapter fic. What do y'all think? Well I hope you guys enjoy this, and sorry if there are any grammatical mistakes!**

Hermione Granger threw her long, curly hair behind her shoulder as she continued working on her essay in the library. She knew she should have brought a spare hair tie considering she lost them quite frequently, but she hurried down to finish her homework so she could spend time with her two best friends later. She had tons to catch up on. As her pen scratched quietly against the paper, she was so immersed in her task that she was unaware of the pair of eyes that were on her. The observer quietly watched her from between books, noticing her hair had fallen, yet again, over her angelic face. She sighed irritably as she pushed her hair back once more and dove into her task again. Even irritated, she was no less than perfect in the observer's eyes.

She had always been perfect to him, and really, no other girl could compare. He had harbored a long-time crush on Hermione that just seemed to grow as the years went on. He wanted to know all about her, so he took it upon himself to learn what college she went to, where her part time job was, and where she lived to name a few things. He also happened to run into her quite frequently at her favorite coffee shop, bookstore, and library, but those were mere coincidental meetings. He told himself they were anyway. Either way he would still hide so she wouldn't see him as he watched her from afar. He wasn't a stalker though, no, not at all. Okay, maybe he was a little but there were crazier people out there in the world. He just watched over the girl and protected her on a few occasions, unbeknownst to her, of course. For all purposes, he was her self-proclaimed guardian angel and he figured since he was that he had every right to watch her. After all, how could he protect her if he didn't look over her?

Hermione let out a satisfied sigh as she popped her back after completing her six page essay. The professor only required three pages, but she went the extra length, knowing her efforts would be awarded. She quietly gathered her things and stood to make her way to the exit when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She glanced to both sides and saw nobody, but when she looked behind her, toward a column in the fiction section of the library, she saw a pair of brown eyes watching her. She gasped quietly and suddenly felt self conscious as she gripped her backpack strap tighter. The pair of eyes that had been watching her had grown wide when she met their stare, and she quickly walked over to see who it was. When she got to the row of books to see who was watching her, she was surprised to find it empty. She went down a few aisles, looking for the person. Her curiosity was piqued. She frowned when she didn't run into anyone, and tried to call to them softly.

"Hello? Are you here?" she called softly.

Only silence answered her and she sighed before turning back around. She saw movement in the next aisle and quickly walked down the aisle she was in to get to the next. Someone was stooping and picking up a few fallen books.

"Hello?" Hermione tried again, "Was it you that was watching me earlier? Through the books, I mean. I was wondering if you knew me or needed something or..."

The man halted in his movements and slowly straightened up. He had long blonde hair and a lean frame, more muscular than skinny. The man turned around and his cold, calculating eyes looked her up and down before he smirked at her.

"My dear, I believe you have me mistaken for someone else," the man said in a cool, clipped tone.

Hermione realized her mistake as soon as he turned around because she had gotten a good look at the eye color of the person who was peeking at her and they were brown. This intimidating man's eyes were a cold grey color.

"I'm sorry, I do apologize sir. I'm sorry," she said quietly, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

With that she turned around as the man scoffed at her apology, not even hiding his ugly attitude from her. Hermione's face stayed red until she got outside, where the chilly evening air cooled her face and her head. She was disappointed that she hadn't found the person who had been watching her, but instead found that nasty blonde. She halted in her thought process as she assessed her emotions. Why would she be disappointed in someone she didn't know? She sighed as she shook her head and began to head home, all the while feeling oddly safe while walking in the dangerous city of Godric's Hollow.

She was a few blocks away from home when they came out of nowhere. Four burly men who were obviously drunk were walking together and obnoxiously singing a tune loudly. She felt her heart leap into her throat as adrenaline pushed her feet faster. She came from the little town of Hogsmeade and normally wouldn't bother being frightened of the drunks there. Hogsmeade was a quiet place after all, and everyone knew each other. She learned, shortly after moving to Godric's Hollow, that not everyone was as friendly as the people were back at home. Here it was every man for himself. The inner city wasn't so bad, but she lived near the outskirts of town and there were bad people everywhere.

One of the four men noticed her and quickly made his pals take notice of her as well. She knew they noticed her as soon as whistles and cat calls rang out at her. She kept her head low and attempted to pass them, her hands gripping her backpack straps tightly until her knuckles were white with the effort. Just as she thought she was in the clear she felt herself being pulled back by her backpack. The man that had pulled her back tried to embrace her, and she fought to get out of his grasp. After struggling with him, he finally let her go when she bit down on his hand hard.

"You little bitch!" he roared as he clutched the hurt hand and tried to smack her across the face. She easily dodged the attack and then felt pain in her calf as one of his friends kicked her there.

She let out a startled yelp of pain and before she could turn around, felt her legs give out when one of the men kicked her hurt leg again and pushed her forward. She glared up at them as they began to hover around her, like vultures to road kill.

"Well looky here boys, looks like we got ourselves a fresh little piece," the bald man of the group grinned nastily.

"Mmm, you think she tastes as good as she looks?" a man with an abnormally large nose sneered, looking Hermione up and down.

"I bet she does. She looks yummy," drawled the third guy, who had his greasy looking hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Let's get the little bitch. I'm sure she'll love the nasty things we're gonna do. Isn't that right, girl? You're gonna take our dicks every which way and enjoy it, aren't you!?" the man she had bitten cackled evilly, a sinister glint in his eyes.

Hermione felt her throat go dry as she attempted to get up, only to be kicked down again by the man with the large nose. She felt her heartbeat increase as she panicked, quickly going through ways she could get out of this situation. Before she could finish her frantic thought process, she heard a fifth voice that was quiet and deadly, laced with venom.

"You nasty fuckers will do no such things to her. Step away from the lady or suffer the consequences."

The leader, who seemed to be the one who Hermione bit, turned around and sneered, looking around for the person who had spoken.

"Who's there? Show yourself you bastard."

From the darkest shadows emerged a tall man dressed in black who stood at what looked like 6'2. He had a lean build to him, lean muscles hidden behind his black hoodie. His brown hair was messy as if he had been running his hands through it, and his eyes were dark and menacing. Hermione was trying to access the man's features when a loud menacing laugh erupted from behind her. Apparently in her oogling, there were words that had been exchanged between these nasty drunks and the stranger who was trying to rescue her. Before she was aware of what was going on, a sudden flurry of fists started up and she scooted back a little to avoid getting stepped on as the man in black wildly attacked her tormentors when a barrage of punches, kicks, and combinations of the two. She felt a hard grip on her arm as she was hauled up, none too gently, by the man with the long greasy hair. She struggled in his grasp, trying to break free of it. He snarled at her defiance and punched her in her face, momentarily stunning her with the pain. Taking advantage of her shock, the man picked her up and quickly tried to get away with her in his arms, his fallen comrades all around him.

"I suggest you put the girl down now, or I swear I'll do worse to you than I did to your posse," a voice growled menacingly from behind them.

The man tried to make a run for it with Hermione beating on his chest frantically. Before he could take another step, suddenly the man stopped and let out a strangled gasp, clearly terrified. Hermione stiffened as the man dropped her unceremoniously on the hard asphalt. Before she could gather what had happened, she heard the man wheezing as he ran for his life in the other direction. Hermione tried to get up on her own but a screaming pain in her leg stopped her as she involuntarily let out a whimper of pain. She soon felt hands on her leg and made to hit the person who dared touch her but stopped herself when she saw it was the man in black, the man who saved her. He gently brought her raised fist down with one of his and probed on her leg lightly. She let out a hiss of pain as he probed a particularly sore spot. He immediately stopped and looked into her eyes, an apology clear in his warm brown eyes. His eyes slid to her sore cheek and gently brushed over the bruising skin. He seemed so sad in that moment. She took a moment to study his features, memorizing every detail of his roughly handsome face. His upper lip was a bit thinner than his bottom lip, his jawline was seemed to be chiseled to perfection, and his eyes (sad at the moment) were focused on the bruise she felt on her cheek.

" _Those eyes_ ," she thought to herself, " _Where have I seen them before?_ "

Before she could think further on the question, the man before her spoke.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop that from happening to you, as well as what happened to your leg," he told her, voice quiet. His voice was completely different than it was earlier when dealing with those drunk men, and she was captivated by the quiet rumble it was.

"I-it could have been worse," she stuttered, a blush and small smile on her lips before she grimaced in pain.

"Don't hurt yourself. Come now, let's try to get you home. Can you walk?"

"I don't think I can by myself."

"Lean on me then."

He helped her to her feet and she leaned on him as she attempted to walk. The pain in her leg was more severe than she thought as she let out a shriek and stumbled, closing her eyes, expecting to hit the ground face first. Instead of hitting the ground, she felt her body shift and slowly opened her eyes once she stopped falling. She was face to face with her savior, the street lights casting him in warm light. She looked into his eyes and was startled into silence as she recognized those exact eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, eyes wide and full of worry.

She slowly nodded her head and he sighed in relief. Noticing her expression, he quickly averted his eyes and helped her stand again, taking her backpack from her in the process. The walk to her house was a tricky one as she was leaning on him, for one, and she kept stepping on his foot. He would grunt in pain, and she would apologize profusely but he would smile at her and tell her it's okay. They finally made it to her front porch and she reached for her backpack. He gave it to her and she searched for the keys all the while the man was standing near, ready to catch her if she fell again. She finally found them and turned to face her savior.

"Thank you for saving me tonight. I really don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come to my rescue," she told him quietly.

"It was no trouble at all," he replied, taking a few steps closer.

"I do have a question though. How did you know where I was?"

"I-I was passing by and-" he began but then stopped himself, looking down.

Hermione regarded him quietly before asking, "No you weren't. Was it you watching me in the library?"

The man before her bit his bottom lip, glanced at her and away again before slowly nodding his head. Hermione let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She took a step closer to him before reaching out and lifting his chin so she could meet his eyes.

"Why were you watching me?" She asked, her heart quietly racing in her chest.

"To protect you," he responded, staring straight into her eyes.

"Protect me from what?"

"Any harm that would befall you, such as tonight."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your protector. I'm your guardian angel."

His statement caught her off guard and she continued to stare into his eyes as she felt her cheeks flush.

"M-my guardian angel?" she asked, the question reflecting in her eyes.

"Yes, your guardian angel. I must protect you," he replied, taking her hand in his.

"But I don't even know your name."

"My name is Bartemius Crouch Jr. I'm known as Barty though."

"Barty," Hermione tested on her tongue. The name felt foreign but nice all the same. Still, the name rang a very distant bell in the back of her mind.

"I'm-" she began but was cut off.

"You're Hermione Jean Granger," Barty supplied quietly, stepping up until he was right in front of her.

"How did you-"

"I know almost everything about you. We used to go to elementary school together back in Hogsmeade. Back then I was quiet and smart but very poor. I was also bullied alot because of those reasons. My family wasn't as well off as some of the others, so I wore second hand clothes and wore my shoes until there were holes in them. You probably don't remember but one afternoon at the playground during recess, Lucius Malfoy and his friends all gathered around and started picking on me. At first it was insults toward me and my poor family, then it was about how I looked and what I wore. Soon ugly words gave way to pushing and shoving and then the most brutal beating I had received from them up until that day. Then in the midst of all the shouting and cursing, I heard a scream. Or maybe it was a roar of anger, and suddenly the hands that had been hitting me disappeared. There was screaming and shouting and soon I saw Malfoy fall to the ground next to me. His face was contorted in anger and shock. I heard shuffling of feet and saw Malfoy run off and soon I was alone, or so I thought," Barty was recalling quietly as Hermione looked at him in surprise. Before she could comment he went on with his story.

"I was in pain all over and when I tried to sit up, I felt two hands on my chest and a voice telling me to stay still for a minute while she went to go get some things. I stayed laying there for about five minutes before I heard someone sit next to me and felt a warm cloth rubbing the blood from my face. I thought it was the school nurse and so I looked for her face. Instead I found the face of an angel staring down at me her beautiful brown eyes clouded with worry for me. For me. For nobody. I watched her quietly as she cleaned my face and arms of the blood and applied bandaids to my cuts. After she was done, she helped me stand and let me lean on her as we walked to class together. Of course the teacher was concerned about what happened, but after seeing my panic she lied and said she had seen me fall off of the slide. Since that day I began to watch her. She was always quiet in class and we become friends since that day she saved me. Then I had to move with my family at the start of seventh grade. We were both heartbroken about it, but I promised her I would be back one day. My family didn't move back to Hogsmeade until the start of nineth grade and by then she had grown alot and seemed to have forgotten about me. It didn't matter though, I had grown stronger during my absence and continued to do so in order to protect her like she had protected me all those years ago."

Hermione stared at him in silent awe and breathed, "So that was you. You were that boy I stood up for. I never knew what became of you..."

"Well, now you know. I came back, just like I promised," Barty whispered the last part, eyes capturing hers once again.

"You were never nobody, not to me," she replied, remembering how he referred to himself earlier.

"I felt like nobody."

"But you weren't."

They stood there looking at each other, getting lost in each other's presence until a horn startled them out of their trance. There was a shout and then a wolf whistle as Hermione felt her face redden in embarrassment.

"M-my friends w-were going to hang out here for a while," she felt compelled to explain to Barty, "W-would you l-like t-to stay?"

She felt her cheeks redden further as warmth filled Barty's brown eyes, an angelic smile gracing his face.

"I think I shall decline tonight. I will take my leave. But I thank you, my dear Hermione."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, disappointment flooding her. She wanted to catch up with Barty badly, but didn't want to be a nuisance. She closed her mouth and swallowed the protest that had crawled up her throat, eyes downcast. She nodded her head, pouting all the while. Before the disappointment could consume her completely, she felt fingers gently lift her chin and she was soon staring into Barty's warm eyes.

"I think tonight you should be with your friends, and take care of your leg and face," Barty told her gently.

Hermione had forgotten about the pain in her leg until he had mentioned it. Now that she thought about it, the pain was worse than earlier. She gasped quietly at this revelation, stumbling slightly into his arms. He held her gently and she was captivated by the feel of his muscles locked around her in a gentle embrace as well as the smell of his dark musky cologne. She let him lead her to the porch swing and he kneeled on one knee in front of her. Dimly her mind was aware that her friends were watching this whole exchange but she was far too immersed in the actions of the man in front of her to care. She picked up her left hand and pressed it against his cheek softly and he sighed in content at the gentle touch. She placed her hand in her lap as Barty rose to his feet. He pressed his lips to her cheek in a sweet kiss before straightening up.

"Don't fret love," he smiled, looking at her expression, "I won't be far. After all, I am your guardian angel."

Hermione smiled sweetly at him, despite the pain in her cheek. With one last lingering look, her guardian angel disappeared into the night


End file.
